TSA Releases VIPR Venom on Tennessee HighwaysIf you thought the “Transportation Security Administration” would limit itself to conducting unconstitutional searches at airports, think again. The agency intends to assert jurisdiction over our nation’s highways, waterways, and railroads as well. TSA launched a new campaign of random checkpoints on Tennessee highways last week, complete with a sinister military-style acronym--VIP(E)R—as a name for the program.

As with TSA’s random searches at airports, these roadside searches are not based on any actual suspicion of criminal activity or any factual evidence of wrongdoing whatsoever by those detained. They are, in effect, completely random. So first we are told by the U.S. Supreme Court that American citizens have no 4thamendment protections at border crossings, even when standing on U.S. soil. Now TSA takes the next logical step and simply detains and searches U.S. citizens at wholly internal checkpoints.

The slippery slope is here. When does it end? How many more infringements on our liberties, our property, and our basic human rights to travel freely will it take before people become fed up enough to demand respect from their government? When will we demand that the government heed obvious constitutional limitations, and stop treating ordinary Americans as criminal suspects in the absence of probable cause?

The real tragedy occurs when Americans incrementally become accustomed to this treatment on the roads just as they have become accustomed to it in the airports. We already accept arriving at the airport 2 or more hours before a flight to get through security; will we soon have to build in an extra 2 or 3 hours into our road trips to allow for checkpoint traffic?

Worse, some people are lulled into a false sense of security and are actually grateful for this added police presence! Should we really hail the expansion of the police state as an enhancement to safety? I submit that an attitude of acquiescence to TSA authority is thoroughly dangerous, un-American, and insulting to earlier freedom-loving generations who built this country.

I am certain people will complain about this, once they have to sit in stopped traffic for a few extra hours to allow for random searches of cars. However, I am also certain it merely will take another "foiled" plot to silence many people into gladly accepting more government mismanagement of safety.

Vigilant, observant, law-abiding, gun-owning citizens defend themselves and stop crimes every day before police can respond. That is the source of real security in America: the 2nd Amendment right to defend oneself. The answer is for people to be empowered to protect themselves. Yet how many weapons might these checkpoints confiscate? Even when individual go through all the legal hoops of licensing and permits, the chances of harassment or outright confiscation of weapons and detention of citizens when those weapons are found at a TSA checkpoint is extremely high.

Disarming the highways and filling them full of jack-booted thugs demanding to see our papers is no way to make them safer. Instead, it is a great way to expand government surveillance powers and tighten the noose around our liberties.

Where is Illinois Eric, or I.E. or whatever he's choosing to hide behind now, and his twin sister um, uh, oh yeah lomasbrowns. Both were screaming to high heaven about Bush and the Patriot act, but now that their buddy Barak has been in office, they remain quiet as mice.

This whole thing WREAKS of control, and it is EXACTLY what is going on. We the people will complain and argue, and might even make a few youtube videos about the injustice, but in the end we will go along with the new programs, because we "have" too.

So we will become indoctrinated into the new USSA policies, and our children will grow up having realized that this is how it's always been so we just tolerate it.

I'm sure just about every Conservative from G.W. to R.R. is rolling in their grave about now.

If you don't know your Constitution, you will become subject to those who are destroying it. Comrades!

_________________2 Chronicles 10:14, "if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land."

October 24th, 2011, 3:50 pm

Pablo

RIP Killer

Joined: August 6th, 2004, 9:21 amPosts: 9645Location: Dallas

Re: TSA Releases VIPR Venom on Tennessee Highways

I've always wondered about this. When I visit my wifes family in the "valley", a border area on the southern tip of Texas, I always found it strange that there is a checkpoint just over an hour north of the border that all cars/trucks must pass through. They are obviously looking for illegals, but also have drug sniffing dogs go around each car. This is well within the border so it makes no sense to me.

This is taking this just another step further and they need to step back quite honestly.

It's outrageous, and I'm pissed. It's totalitarian. I've never changed my story re: the Patriot Act & Bush - and feel the exact same way about Obama's policy of continuing and evolving Bush's ridiculous policies.

Bush sucked - and now it has turned out that so does Obama. Sly and I were discussing this fact a while back - but you might have missed it because the topic didn't have anything to do with fantasy sky ghost delusions.

Kiss my rear end, DevilDope, or whatever name it is that YOU go by now. Nobody has spewed more uninformed nonsense on any website in history than you.

October 24th, 2011, 7:46 pm

WarEr4Christ

QB Coach

Joined: October 26th, 2005, 11:48 pmPosts: 3039Location: Elkhart, In.

Re: TSA Releases VIPR Venom on Tennessee Highways

I.E.

You know I must say your response has stuck with me ever since I read it last night. 1st I wanted to respond with a sharp retort, and then I wanted to bury the hatchet, but neither of those felt appropriate, and so I'm going to put my faith where my mouth is.

I would like to ask that you accept my apology for the rough waters between us. I don't remember all of the arguments, or disagreements, and I really am not interested in digging up dirt. I will say that the man I was then, is not the man I am today, and so I think an apology from my part is in order to both you and Lomas Browns.

I completely understand that we will not be beer drinking buddies, and that you do not see things from the same perspective that I do, so let's just start over. I will do my best to maintain civil, and appropriate conversation even if I do not agree with you. I have decided to do this in a public forum, because many of my responses and "arguments" with you and Lomas were done in this public forum, so it only felt appropriate to humble myself here, amongst friends, even internet ones.

As I said, we may not agree, but we can still discuss many topics without trying to upset or disparage the other. So again, I ask that you and Lomas accept my apology, and let's move on.

_________________2 Chronicles 10:14, "if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land."

Well, I tried to warn people, but nobody wanted to listen. This is what happens when you elect "progressives", and they can come from either party. They believe in statism and think they know better than anybody else. The warning signs were there with Obama, but most people were too enamored with him to recognize them. Do not make the same mistake again.